Simon Cowell has reportedly splashed out £100,000 on a painting as he attended a charity auction in London.

The X Factor boss - whose £300 million fortune has seen him take eighth place in a league of music millionaires compiled for the new Sunday Times Rich List - forked out the whopping sum for a piece of art by Salvador Dali at the Caudwell Butterfly Ball, according to the Daily Mail.

Simon, 54, wasn't with his girlfriend Lauren Silverman but apparently joined long-time friend Sinitta at the event at the Grosvenor House Hotel, where the 80s pop star was hosting a table.

The TV mogul is a fan of Dali - four years ago when he was engaged to Mezhgan Hussainy it was reported that he was planning to theme his wedding party around the surrealist artist's famed The Persistence Of Memory painting.

The Butterfly Ball raises money to provide practical and emotional support for disabled children in the UK.

Peter Andre hosted the event and Kylie Minogue is thought to have performed.